…there is a discussion online about the veracity (and wisdom) of wearing a safety pin to signal that you are an ally to members of any group of people who feel threatened by last week’s election results.
I think any one who thinks by donning a safety pin they’ve made everything all better is silly.
But I wore one on Friday, and in class, my students wanted to talk about the uptick of violence and harassment since last Tuesday. To be honest, I thought we’d already debriefed on Wednesday the day after, but we talked and I mentioned the internet meme of wearing a safety pin, and pointed out mine.
And immediately after class, two students came up to talk. One had received a racist Facebook post and another had been sexually harassed on a job interview.
Is this Trump’s fault? I am not equipped to say anything other than crappy behavior has been given a pass by our new Commander in Chief, and so I will wear a safety pin to signal that I am here, and I am an ally. No, it won’t make everything go away, but if I can end an ear and some support to someone who needs it, then good.
Yes, good! You do a lot more than wear a pin, as do others.
To the criticizers, I say: they can do what is helpful their way, and we can do what is helpful our way. It’s all good. And we need all of it.